The Bureau of Reclamation is going green.

You will soon see the all new electric-powered vehicles the bureau has added to its vehicle fleet.

They are so quiet you could almost hear a pin drop.

That is a fair description of the Bureau of Reclamation's new electric utility vehicle (EUV) fleet of 27 passenger and maintenance vehicles.

The vehicles will be seen throughout the Grand Coulee Dam Project area soon and will save the government an estimated 10 to 15 percent a year in just gasoline expenses. The bureau currently spends about $111,000 on fossil fuels for its vehicles a year.

The $900,000 contract with e-ride Industries of Princeton, Minnesota gets the bureau the 27 low-maintenance, zero-emission vehicles and includes delivery and maintenance. The individual cost: $32,900. The Bureau currently has 16 of the vehicles with 11 more coming soon.

The lithium ion battery-powered vehicles are expected to help meet the federal government's greenhouse gas emission goals set by President Obama's executive order this past spring, according to bureau officials.

It's appropriate that the largest dam in the U.S. has one of the largest fleets of American-made, electric-powered vehicles, noted Matt Tillman, Grand Coulee's administrative officer. "They're powered by renewable energy that's generated here at the dam," he said.

The new vehicles are utilitarian, with no frills, and resemble a cross between a Jeep and a Hummer, said Deputy Power Manager Doug Anderson.

A ride in one Friday showed how handy they will be on the project. We went up and down hills and around the warehouse area and the EUVs appeared to handle easily, with speeds up to 25 mph when out in the open.

Mande Land drove the four-passenger version for the demonstration.

The day was windy and cold, but the heater in the EUV kept things warm and cozy. (No air conditioning, though.) It wasn't clear how the vehicles would handle in icy road conditions. There's also the utility version that opens in the back for a payload of up to 1,000 pounds. It is equipped with a tool section on the side and an over-vehicle rack that holds ladders and the like.

The bureau stated that the new vehicles will help accommodate some 130 new employees added to the project in the past two years.

The Grand Coulee Dam project covers 18 square miles and includes transmission yards, four power plants, and the mile-wide dam itself.

The trucks were built by e-ride Industries of Princeton, Minnesota.

The 27 EUVs makes the fleet one of the largest collection of industrial class electrical vehicles in the U.S. The truck units carry 1,000 payloads and are highly adaptable to rugged industrial environments like Grand Coulee.

Maintenance on the EUVs requires no disposal of hazardous materials such as used oil, antifreeze, or other liquids associated with gas-powered vehicles. Each vehicle's nine eight-volt lithium-ion batteries are warranted to last 15 years.

The EUVs have a maximum speed of 25 mph, and a gross weight of 3,000 pounds. Some of the vehicles are four-passenger, commuter-style vehicles, and the remainder are more like a small pickup holding up to a 1,000-pound payload.

The USBR has posted a video about the new vehicles on YouTube, below.

The USBR has also posted about the vehicles on other social media:

• Twitter:      https://twitter.com/usbr/status/664945407001251840/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bureau.of.reclamation

• Flickr:        https://www.flickr.com/photos/usbr/